In a few days, France will host the most beautiful competition in the world of rugby: The Rugby World Cup. This sport, once heavily amateur, is now on par with many team sports.
However, amateurism has its limits when it comes to big money, and the position of the International Rugby Board regarding the rights to photographs of this competition is simply unacceptable. It is intolerable that certain fundamental rights are being ignored merely for the interests of a governing body that is quick to forget the values derived from this sport, of which it claims to be a flagbearer.
Several major press agencies (AFP, Reuters, DPA, AP, Getty) and numerous newspapers have strongly reacted to this decision and even threaten to reconsider the coverage of the Rugby World Cup and other competitions organized by the IRB.
Accordingly, the editorial team at Nice Premium will not offer coverage of this competition, and we apologize in advance to our readers.
As a former rugby player, Franck Viano, Director of the publication, wished to respond to this: “It was supposed to be a great and beautiful celebration, but due to certain interests, the very principles of image rights are being challenged. Certainly, the values of rugby are not being challenged, but the mindset of its leaders is frankly questionable just hours before this event. Money doesn’t buy happiness, gentlemen, but in this case, it could very well bring misfortune to the world of rugby. Nice Premium will not cover the Rugby World Cup, and of course, that won’t break your lame duck’s three legs, but before making certain decisions, it would be wise to think more with your heart than with your wallet.”
